Reoccurring Nightmares
by AnkaraStark
Summary: Kenshin keeps having bad dreams about himself turning back into the hitokiri he once was and fears they may become reality
1. Default Chapter

Author: Ankara Stark 

Title: Reoccurring Nightmares

Story Rating: R due to language and some possible adult situations

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its affiliates__

Chapter One

**_Fire… It was everywhere. It had been storming earlier that night when the lightning had struck, igniting the fire nearly half an hour before. The dojo was sill burning because the rain had stopped. The out-of-control flames licked at the thin, rice paper walls, consuming everything in its path. The fire ravaged high into the black sky, burning away the history of a family the dojo held and one woman's dreams. But what the woman's gaze was focused on wasn't her burning home and dojo; it was fixed upon the short man who stood in front of it._**

**_Kenshin stood before her, flames surrounding him, their orange glow reflecting in his amber eyes that were staring back at her. A cold and determined look filled his gaze. "Kaoru," his unusually deep and rough voice called out, but when she focused on his mouth, she realized that his lips weren't moving at the same time the voice was speaking. They weren't matching up._**

**_She let out a small whimper and looked away from him._**

**_"Kaoru," he growled again, releasing his sakabatou from its sheath with a sharp click. "It's time."_**

**_"No… Kenshin, no." She shook her head wildly and slowly backed away when he began to approach her, truly afraid for the first time of the so-called wanderer that stood before her now. Moisture gathered in her eyes at the thought of beloved rurouni turning back into the manslayer of ten years past. "Please… Please, Kenshin, don't do-" her voice was abruptly cut off and replaced with a startled gasp as his hand clamped tightly around the delicate flesh of her throat._**

**_"Yes, Kaoru. Yes… I warned you…I've tried to be gentle with you, koishii," he murmured harassingly with a tone that was like that of a parent scolding a small child. "Really, I have," he said, as if trying to convince himself more than her. The backside of the fingers holding his sakabatou gently stroked her cheek while he spoke, his voice growing angrier with each moment that passed. "But you would not listen to me," he continued, anger and confusion tingeing his voice and leaking into his amber gaze. "Why don't you ever listen to me? Why can't you just listen to me for once?" he practically shouted, the hand that had been stroking left her cheek to abruptly grab her by the shoulder and began to roughly shake her as if she were nothing more than a rag doll. "I had to kill that man, Kaoru! I had to kill him. Jin'e stole you from me. I couldn't take that, Kaoru, you understand? I couldn't take that! I had to kill him. Why didn't you just stay at the dojo with Sano when I asked you to? Why did you have to follow me? Why couldn't you just let me take care of it on my own?!" He drew in a ragged breath. His furious amber eyes searched her face wildly, his uncontrolled anger making him seethe. "I wouldn't have had to worry about protecting anyone during the fight had you stayed at the dojo. But no, you just had to follow me and get yourself abducted! I had to kill him to break the Shin no Ippou in order to protect you!" _**

**_The grip the hand upon her throat had increased, but she didn't fight him off. Instead, she fought against the tears that threatened to be released from behind her closed eyelids. One managed to escape, however, slipping through her thick eyelashes and sliding down the smooth flesh of her face, leaving behind a water streak on her black smoke-covered cheek. "I… I'm sorry," she apologized brokenly, her voice managing no more than a whisper. Her throat burned and voice was hoarse from inhaling so much smoke._**

**_"You're 'sorry?' That's it? You think that saying you're sorry is enough to wipe away the atrocity that your foolish actions forced me to commit?!" he spat out the question angrily, bringing her face closer to his, their noses almost touching. He turned the blade and brought his sword up to press against her throat, the sharp edge of the blade digging into the tender flesh of her throat._**

**_"I'm sorry!" Kaoru cried out, a sob escaping her throat. She clenched her eyes shut tightly. She wanted nothing more than to turn and run away from the red-haired man as fast as her feet would carry her. Oh, how she longed for the kind and understanding gaze of her violet-eyed rurouni._**

**_It began to rain again. The droplets of water started falling slowly, but soon started falling at a faster pace, slipping down the faces of both people standing before a burning dojo, mixing with one woman's tears as they fell freely down her face. _**

**_He stared down at her now tear-and rain-stained face, but she refused to open her eyes. _**

**_"Don't you understand? I broke my promise, Kaoru," he began, his voice a little more controlled. "I was forced to break the promise I made to Tomoe more than ten years ago!" As if his own words suddenly hit home in his mind, he let out a small moan and tilted his head backwards, his face up toward the black night sky, rain beating down on it without mercy, yet he welcomed the physical pain. Anthing to get his mind off the emotional pain he was suffering. "Oh, Tomoe," he moaned out brokenly, clenching his eyes tightly shut as he whispered her name once more. "Tomoe."_**

**_At the sound of Kenshin whispering the name of his dead wife, Kaoru's heart broke completely It was like applying salt on the open wound he had ripped straight through her heart. "I… I only wanted to be with you, Kenshin," she whispered to him, finally opening her blue eyes that were rimmed with red due to her crying. "Don't you understand?" she asked, her voice trembling. "The only reason that I followed you was because…because…" she broke off, closing her eyes once more and tilting her head forward in resignation._**

**_"Why, Kaoru?" he hissed. _**

**_Her voice dropped so low in level that his keen ears were barely able to register it above the sound of the falling rain and rumbling of thunder, "…because I love you."_**__

_~~*~~_

Alright, that's it for right now. If you like it, please let me know by reviewing! ^_^;; I'll start working on the next chapter soon!


	2. Chapter Two

Author: Ankara Stark

Title: Reoccurring Nightmares

Rating: R for some violent content/language and some possible adult content

Disclaimer: I do not own _Rurouni Kenshin_ or any of its affiliates.

                                  Chapter Two

                                        ~~*~~

**_"… Because I love you."_**

"Kaoru!" he gasped, Kenshin's eyes snapping open instantly. His head shot straight up in surprise, a hand resting up on the hilt of the sakabatou out of habit. His keen eyes took in his surroundings instantly; he was seated on the floor of his room at the Kamiya dojo, a place that had become his home. He was trying to catch his breath, panting harshly, upset by his own actions in the nightmare that he had dreamt. The ex-hitokiri's trusty sakabatou was resting up against his shoulder as it always did when he slept sitting against the wall. _The dojo,_ he realized with relief after a moment,_ it… It_ _hadn't burned down!_ Drawing in a shaky breath, he allowed himself a moment's peace to collect himself, lowering his forehead to touch his upraised knee. His violet eyes were clenched tightly together in concentration. _It was just a dream. It was just a dream,_ he repeated to himself like a mantra, _just a dream. Which means that none of it really happened. I _didn't_ hold my sword to Kaoru's throat,_ he thought. _I haven't again become the Battousai that I once was. I have not gone back to killing…_ His heart swelled with relief and he sank back to lean against the wall behind him, closing his eyes… Kaoru was safe. _I wasn't hurting her or making her cry_- he stopped and shook his head, mentally berating himself for not showing Kaoru enough respect. Even in his private thoughts, she at least deserved that. Kaoru-_dono_, he silently corrected himself, his lips forming a thin line. Kenshin then let out a wistful sigh. Kaoru-dono… How could something so simple as an honorific title build such a wall between two people? How could he _let_ such a thing as simple as that keep him from admitting his true feelings for her? But more importantly, _why_ did he harbor such feelings for the young woman? He had been married once and bore the scar his fateful love had left behind on his cheek… Why did his heart want to jump headfirst back into the dangerous water of the romance pool? Hadn't he given up such foolish inclinations when his Tomoe had died by his own hand? How could he betray her memory by falling in love with another?

_She's dead, Kenshin,_ something told him in the back of his mind. _She's no longer here for you. You've gone ten years without so much as touching another woman's cheek… Isn't it time for you to stop your heart from wandering? You've found yourself a place to live… Why not find yourself the woman who will be your true home._

_Because I can't_, he then thought irritably. _I cannot put such high expectations on Kaoru-dono, that I cannot… And I cannot expect her to feel for me the things that I feel for her._

_But maybe she **does** love you._

_I only **dreamed** of her telling me that she loved me,_ he argued with himself._ It was only a dream… she didn't say it. It was only a dream… But then again, why would someone as sinful as me expect someone as good and kind-hearted as her to say such a thing?_ He pushed himself away from the wall and leaned forward, wrapping his arms around his upraised knees, feeling nothing but self-hatred and disgust with himself._ And even if she does believe that she's in love with me,_ the reasonable side of his mind argued, _it is more-than-likely just a case of a childhood crush. She is far too young to fully understand the true meaning of love. _

_So when did _you_ become such a professional when it comes to such things?_ His other half asked sarcastically. _Why don't you just give her a chance?_

_Why should I? Kaoru-dono is just a child. She doesn't know what she's doing, _his more reserved side argued.

_Yeah, a child who was old enough to know what she was doing by taking an ex-hitokiri into her own home, _came the snide reply.

Kenshin frowned and pushed both warring halves from his mind before placing his hands on the floor and pushing himself to his feet. He looped his sheathed sword through his pant belt and let out a wistful sigh; he needed some fresh air. Otherwise, he was going to go insane. But oh, how he longed to call he by her name alone… Kaoru. How easily the name slid off the tip of his tongue… And speaking of tongue, imagine what she might taste like-- _No,_ he thought with an inward groan. _Let's not go even think about anything related to that again. She is far too young and pure for someone like me._

Kenshin silently padded across the room and slid the door open before stepping out into the hall, closing the door behind him. He slowly found himself wandering the small hall on his way outside, passing by a room where loud snoring noises were emitting. Yahiko… If anyone could rival the thunder of a storm with the sound of their snoring, it would most certainly be that young man. Without a doubt, he could wake the neighboring households from their slumber without even giving an effort. 

Kenshin paused for a moment outside the young swordsman's door before he slid the thin door open, leaning against the doorway as he watched over the sleeping boy. His jet-black hair defied gravity even while he was laying down, the spikes sticking out at peculiar angles from all over his head. His deep brown eyes were closed in sleep, his mouth, on the other hand, left wide open for the world to see as well as hear, the volume of his snoring only seeming to increase with each passing moment. While Myojin Yahiko was not very large in size, much like Kenshin, he wasn't afraid to fight for what he believed in and refused to back down to any enemy that threatens him or someone he loved… He was _especially_ protective of Sanzou Tsubame, a shy and very petite young girl who had earned herself a special place in the young man's heart. The two of them worked together at the _Akabeko_, a popular restaurant in Tokyo, which was owned by a friend named Tae, who also just happened to be Tsubame's aunt. Both Tsubame and Tae had brown hair, dark eyes, and heart-shaped faces, the sharing of genetics very apparent in their appearances.  Yahiko was extremely protective of Tsubame, and, just like Kenshin had sworn himself to protect Kaoru and her happiness, Yahiko had sworn himself to protect Tsubame and her happiness. It was very easy for the ex-hitokiri to imagine the two youngsters getting married when they were older.  

Kenshin smiled gently at the thought and watched the young boy sleep for several more moments before quietly stepping of the doorway. He slid the screen shut behind him, then he turned and continued his trek down the hall, lost in his thoughts about the disturbing dream he'd had only minutes before.  The sound of his sandals scuffing along the wood floor was the noise, aside from Yahiko's obnoxious snoring, that could be heard throughout the dojo. He needed air. Kenshin passed by Kaoru's room and walked outside, standing out on the porch. Leaning against one of the polls, the redhead let his forehead rest against it so that it would support his weight for him, closing his eyes and drawing in a deep breath of relief. The cold winter air bit at his skin through his thin clothing and he exhaled, watching the vapor of his breath in the dark night air. The swordsman stayed that way for several minutes, just enjoying the feel of the icy air upon his skin before turning and walking back into the dojo. Suddenly, he snapped out of his reverie, only to find himself standing before Kaoru's bedroom door. How many nights had he spent sleeping outside this very door after he fought to get Kaoru back after Jin'e had abducted and held her hostage? Closing his eyes, he leaned his head forward and rested it against the wood surrounding the thin paper door before him. He needed to get his thoughts and emotions under control soon or else he was afraid he was going to lose it. Whenever it came to Kaoru being in danger or just a thought of her being in danger, Kenshin could immediately feel himself losing his control. And that was something he greatly feared. She meant everything to him and he was willing to give everything he had, including his own life, in order to ensure her safety… and had almost become the broken his promise not to kill again in order to do so when Jin'e came. But he had to remain focused and in control of his emotions- he couldn't risk losing control of his emotions in fear of its repercussions. The truth was that he was in love her, but he would never actually admit it to anyone, even though his best friend, Sano, would constantly tease him about her. He knew about Kenshin's feelings for Kaoru, but Sano also knew that the ex-hitokiri could never make his love known to her in fear of tainting her with the blood from his wretched past. The blood on his hands could never be washed away; Kenshin carried that emotional baggage of his past with him wherever he went for the past ten years; he could not risk tainting her purity with his gruesome past. But that is _exactly_ what he would be doing if he let himself become romantically involved with her; if he touched her in the way he had longed to since she first charged him in the street during their first meeting, he knew that he wouldn't be able to resist and would only give in to the temptation of lust and romance. He couldn't bring himself to do that to her. She was too young, too innocent… but most importantly, she was not ready. 

Pushing away from the bedroom doorway, he began to turn away, only to stop when he heard a sobbing sound come from the other side of the closed door. He paused, furrowing his eyebrows as he tilted his head as he turned back to the door. After waiting a few moments, only silence greeted him and he figured that he had imagined the sound. Just before he could turn away again, though, he heard another sound come from inside the room. He narrowed his eyes and flicked out his sakabatou from its sheath, concerned about her safety. What if someone was in there with her, if someone was hurting her? He placed his hand on the door, "Kaoru-dono?" He paused before sliding it open a little. "Kaoru-dono, are you alright?"

Lying in the middle of the room on her futon was Kaoru. 

She was lying on her side, facing him where he stood in the doorway. Her midnight black hair fanned out around her on her neck pillow, contrasting sharply with the creamy pale complexion of her skin. The sheet that had once been lying upon her was now twisted about her long, beautiful legs. Beside her on the bed, both of her small hands clenched the bedding beneath her tightly with her fists, holding on to it as if her very life depended on it. When Kenshin's eyes roamed upward, they met an even more enticing sight. The young woman's sleeping yukata had dipped dangerously low and open around her chest and neck, affording the swordsman standing before her a generous view of her cleavage. 

Kenshin forced his eyes away from the tempting sight to look at the moonlight that filtered in through the window, accentuating her curves with the light and shadows it afforded. And though he had always thought her beautiful, even when hot and sweaty from her vigorous training sessions with Yahiko, seeing her like this made his heart skip a beat and breathing become more of a chore than an instinct. He had to force himself to take a deep, shuddering breath to get himself in check. Why did she have to be so beautiful, so incredibly enticing and utterly breathtaking? Seeing her like this- beautiful and sensual while also in need of protection in her current state of helplessness- sent his mind reeling. It made his body want to instinctively react; his mind have thoughts that he wasn't sure he wanted to have, not trusting how his body many want to react to such ideas and longings. 

"Kenshin," Kaoru suddenly murmured, breaking him out of his train of thought. Though she still slept, her eyebrows tightly knitted together, as if she was worried about something. Suddenly she appeared almost fearful and she let out a whimper. "K-Kenshin… P-please… don't…" Her voice trailed off and she rolled onto her back, tossing her head back and forth on the pillow, fitfully. She murmured incomprehensively, continuing to struggle against some unknown enemy... or perhaps she was fighting against him in her dream. But why would she be doing that? She knew that he would never raise a finger in any way that could possibly harm her. It was obvious that she was having a bad dream, but why was she calling out his name? … But more importantly, what did she imagine that _he_ was doing to her in that dream that she wanted him to not do or stop doing? He would never do anything that she didn't want him to do, so why was she dreaming that he would?

With that questioning thought, his eyes suddenly widened with surprise. _Could it be that she is having the same dream… the same hellish nightmare that I had just awakened from a few minutes ago?_ Kenshin wondered to himself, but then immediately dismissed the thought as an absurd and impossible one before glancing around the room to make sure that she was, in fact, alone. When he was confident that they were, the ex-hitokiri proceeded to relinquish the hold he had on the handle of his weapon. Stealthily crossing the room, he knelt down on one knee by her side. He lifted a hand to touch her face in an attempt to comfort her during her nightmare but then suddenly stilled, the hand hovering just millimeters away from her cheek. He realized that the reason he wanted to touch her wasn't to comfort her, but rather because his ached to caress her smooth skin. Closing his eyes, he turned his face away, ignoring his own longing and pulled his hand away. _How could I be so selfish at a time like this?_ Kenshin wondered, feeling completely and utterly disgusted with himself and immediately withdrew from her side, slowly rising to his feet. His sandaled feel shuffled forward a few steps toward the door, but no sooner had he done that did she let out another heart-wrenching whimper. Kenshin stopped walking altogether and turned slightly toward her, glancing over his shoulder at her through his thick red bangs. Why did she only whimper when he started to leave? It was almost as if she knew he was leaving or that his presence had somehow calmed her. But how could that possibly be, though? She wasn't even conscious, how could she know that he was even there? Kenshin waited for a few moments before turning to leave again, only to stop when she whimpered more, only this time a little more frantically, tossing and turning on her futon restlessly, becoming more tangled in the ensnaring sheets. Letting out a sigh and hanging his head forward in resignation, he stepped closer to where she slept and leaned against the wall. After pulling his sheathed sword from his belt, Kenshin slid down against the wall with his back until he was sitting on the ground beside her unconscious form. He stood his sword so that it was leaning upright against his shoulder and he raised one knee, tilting his head forward, hoping that he might be able to go back to sleep. This was probably going to be one of the longest nights of his life, from the looks of things. Her dreams were the only place that he could not reach in order to protect her… he felt helpless.

Kenshin glanced up once more at the beautiful woman sleeping before him, his slightly darkened violet eyes tracing her curves once more before flickering over to stare outside the window at the pitch-black sky outside. The grown man sighed and pulled his arms further up into the sleeves of his long _gi_ in an attempt to keep his hands warm in the cold winter weather. Yes… It was _definitely_ going to be a long night. 

With that last thought, Kenshin leaned his head back against the wall and stared up at the ceiling above them through his long, thick bangs. The ex-rurouni, ex-hitokiri remained awake, ignoring his fatigue from not sleeping well. He had the very same nightmare every night for the last few weeks. He wasn't able to allow himself to go back to sleep afterward, though, almost fearful of what dreams may await him. He had been battling his inner demon for the last 10 years; why was the Battousai making another appearance in his dreams now? Something was wrong, he could feel it, but he didn't know for certain what it was. And because of that, every night had become a routine: he would wake up from his nightmare, get up and walk around the dojo for hours on end, but he would usually end up sleeping on the floor just outside her bedroom door while she slept. Then he would leave to go make breakfast hours later before she would awaken and know that he had even been there. Tonight, however, things would be different; he would be staying right by her bedside to ensure her safety while she slept, that thought a comforting one for him to use in aid of battling his nightmares. Just as her presence involuntarily comforted him, tonight, he would provide _her_ comfort she obviously needed while she battled with her own dark dreams. 

Cracking on eye open, Kenshin glanced over her sleeping form one last time, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath she would take, noting how her breathing had become regular and even since he'd sat down by her side. Letting the one eye close once more, he surrendered to what he assumed would be the darkness of his dreams, only to find his dreams to be filled with light when sleeping in Kaoru's presence; she took his nightmares away.                      

                                        ~~*~~

Author's notes: Hopefully I've met all your expectations thus far. I'll continue writing and will post the next chapter when I get the opportunity, but my job also keeps me busy, so bear with me here. ;)

FireKitsune: Yes, it was a dream, which is why it was written in **_bold italics._** Bold italics signify a dream, whereas _regular italics_ symbolize what someone is thinking.

Yuna-chan: I plan to. :) I just need to find the time to do so!

MysticGohan3: Thank you!

Ren-Okye: Thank you kindly!

Kyia Star: Yeah, hehe. I figured that I might as well give it a try. I haven't written a fan fic in about two years, so I figured it was time to try another one!

Neko: The Cat That's Everywhere: First, I'd like to say that I love your pen name, hehe. Next, thank you for your kind words. I'll try and update it as soon as possible and am glad that you enjoyed it so much and felt like you were part of the story!

Brooke: Suspense is the key to any good piece of writing. ;) Always have to leave your audience hanging onto the edge of their seat.

8462: For a second, I thought this was the Star Trek species 8472… close, but no cookie! ^_^ And as for your question, you'll just have to keep on reading to find out!

Nanakilover/Brukaoru: Sorry, I'm not very good at writing descriptions ^_^;; And I was desperately trying to write a quick one, so I apologize if you found it inadequate!

Sephira jo: Hehe… Your threat alone is enough motivation for me to keep writing. ;)

Unearthly Emperor: Thank you very much! I'll try to do so ASAP!

Disturbed-demon-gurl: Thank you as well. This is the first fiction for _Rurouni Kenshin_ that I've written (if you don't count a poem), so it was a new experience and I wasn't sure if I'd properly captured the Battousai's personality in my writing.

Linggoddess: Thanks, hehe. Yes, it was very evil for me to leave you all with a cliffhanger, but you'll just have to hang around and wait to find out what happens in the next few chapters!

ShilvigrlAmyjenc1: Thank you kindly, Sofa-chan.

Kard of Dark: I hope that you'll also find the next few chapters as emotional for you.

Thank you all again for your kind reviews! I'll keep writing if you all keep reviewing! ;)  


	3. Chapter Three

Author: Ankara Stark

Title: Reoccurring Nightmares

Rating: R for violent content and possible adult situations

Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own _Rurouni Kenshin_ or any of its affiliates.

                                  Chapter Three

                                   ~~*~~

Kaoru yawned and stretched her arms lazily above her head. _Is it morning already? She frowned, feeling exhausted. It was as if she hadn't slept at all! Wanting nothing more than to just roll over and go back to sleep, she sighed and instead pushed aside the cover sheet. She then rose to her feet, stretching once more in an attempt to loosen her stiff, tense muscles. Making her way over to her clothing chest, Kaoru untied her yukata and slipped it slowly from her shoulders, discarding the sleeping attire on the chest. She picked up the bindings she had set upon the chest the night before, wrapping it around herself in order to bind her breasts. Securing it with a knot, she picked up her training gi and shrugged on before stepping into her hakama, tying its belt securely around her trim waist with a knot. The female swordsman slipped into her tabi and sandals before straightened up and pulling her hair from the loose braid she kept it in while she slept. After combing it out, she pulled her raven hair back into a simple pony-tale and tied it. __Mou... Guess this means that I'm going to have to begin training Yahiko soon... ___

No sooner had the thought entered her mind did the door to her bedroom slide open. In the doorway stood the aforementioned boy with his trademark spiky black hair and brown eyes. Yahiko put his hands on his hips and glowered at her. "Did you just get out of bed now, _busu_?!"

Anger flashed in her blue eyes and she ignored his initial question, "what did you call me, Yahiko-_chan_?"

"Don't call me -chan, _ugly_!"

Tossing her hair over her shoulder, Kaoru defiantly put her hands on her hips, her stance matching the defiance that was evident in her fiery eyes. "Alright, Yahiko_-chan_, you've just earned yourself five hundred strokes!"

The small Japanese boy gaped at her openly. "Five hundred strokes?! Are you out of your mind, busu?!"

She smirked. "Make it a thousand."

"BUSU!"

"Yes, Yahiko-chan?" she asked sweetly, her words dripping honey.

"You can't make me do a thousand strokes!"

"Oh, yes I most certainly can! I'm the Assistant Master of the Kamiya Kasshin style of swordsmanship, and _you_, my little Yahiko," she said after making her way over to him and pinched his cheek between her index finger and thumb, "are my young pupil and have to do _exactly what I say!"_

"No, I don't!" he retorted, jerking his face from her grasp, putting a hand to his throbbing cheek, his expression one of a wounded little puppy dog.

"Oh, yes you do!"

"Oh, no, I don't!"

The assistant master and her student only stopped bickering when the sound of Kenshin's voice carried to their ears from the kitchen, "breakfast is ready, Kaoru-dono, Yahiko!" 

"Did someone say breakfast?" Another voice asked the first, unmistakably the voice of none other than Sagara Sanosuke, the ex fighter-for-hire.

Kaoru frowned and stormed out of her bedroom, past a huffy Yahiko and out into the kitchen where Kenshin and Sanosuke were talking, "Mou! You good for nothing freeloader! Do you think you're going to get another free breakfast here? If that's what you think," she sniffled haughtily at the accused 'freeloader,' "then you're mistaken! Why don't you ever try to earn your keep instead of always depending on everyone else's good will?"

"Heh," Sanosuke snickered from around the trademark fishbone he held between his teeth. "Why should I do that when I know I can get a good meal here? Kenshin is a good cook," he said, slapping the older redhead on the back, knocking him slightly forward, " why shouldn't I take advantage of his culinary abilities while I still can?" He proceeded to shove his hands deep into the pockets of his white pants and shrugged. "I mean, who knows when you'll start thinking that you're a good cook again and start poisoning everyone with your own cooking?"

"Yeah!" Yahiko chimed in from behind as he ran past her to stand by the taller man. "I just hope that day never comes!"

"Yahiko!" Kaoru seethed from between clenched teeth, her eyes shooting daggers at the youngster. "You've just earned yourself _another thousand strokes!" After a moment, she smirked, "That's, what, two thousand strokes that you now owe me?" _

Yahiko scowled at her from where he stood, "I'm not about to do any stupid strokes for you, raccoon girl! And you can't make me!" With that, he stuck his tongue out at her and gave her the raspberries.

Kaoru stepped forward, rage firing in her eyes, but before she could have at her younger pupil, Kenshin interfered, stepping between them and waving his hands in the air in his innocent rurouni fashion. "Oro! I think we all should just sit and have some breakfast," he said before motioning to the food he had just placed on the table, "that I do."

Sano nodded his head in approval before taking kneeling across from Kenshin at the low dining table, "it's about time! I'm starving!" He grinned at the ex-hitokiri, "Kenshin, maybe you could teach a certain someone around here how to cook," his gaze was set on Kaoru, "so that if you're ever have to go somewhere we'll all still be alive and not have starved to death by the time you got back!"

Kaoru simply scowled at him from across the table, keeping her hands tightly clenched in her lap in order to resist the urge to throw her bowl of rice at the ex-fighter-for-hire's head. 

"S-Sano!" Kenshin laughed nervously, his eyes formed into innocent crescents while one of his hands nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Kaoru-dono's cooking is very good, that it is!"

Yahiko stared at him incredulously, and whispered to Sano before he could speak. "Her cooking is good? Good for what, firewood?"

"Alright, I _heard that,_ you little brat!" Kaoru snapped, rising to her feet while pushing up the sleeves of her practice gi in preparation for a fight. Her gaze was fastened on Yahiko who sat on the other side of the table and she pointed at him with a menacing index finger. "Now you're going to pay for that comment!" 

Yahiko simply stuck his tongue out at her from where he stood behind the fighter he was using as a human shield, "no I won't, _ugly!" _

"Ohhh, yes you will!" She snarled, lunging toward the kid and the man who stood between them.

"Hey!" came an outcry from the human shield as Sanosuke maneuvered his body away from the kid behind him, holding Kaoru at arm's length with one hand on her head, evading her swinging arms and fists. "Don't use _me as your protective barrier between you and Jou-chan, kid! You two can settle your differences on your own!"_

"Kid? Who are you calling a kid?!" Yahiko leapt on Sano's shoulders with a cry and began gnawing on his head.

Ignoring Sanosuke's cries of outrage, Kenshin turned to Kaoru, only to find that she was still glaring daggers at the boy sitting atop the fighter's shoulders, no longer trying to attack them. "Kaoru-dono, would you care for some breakfast? I picked up some fresh fish from the market this morning, that I did."

The female swordsman turned her attention away from the two guys who were now rolling back and forth on the floor in a brawl and focused on the short man who had stood up when she turned to face him. She smiled gently, "sure, Kenshin," and joined the redhead at the table, kneeling down beside him. They both picked up their chopsticks and began eating, continuing to ignore the sounds of battle emanating from the two meatheads who were still rolling around on the ground near them. After a few moments of silence between her and Kenshin, Kaoru glanced up from her food and peered curiously at the red head that was pushing the food around on his plate with his chopsticks. "Kenshin?" she asked. "Are you alright? You've barely touched your food!" Before he could answer, Kaoru dropped her chopsticks and raised one hand, touching the back of it gently against his forehead. "Are you not feeling well? Are you ill?"

The instant that her hand made contact with his face, he jerked away as if her touch had burned him. "H-hai... Sessha is fine, Kaoru-dono, that sessha is." Before she could react, he quickly leapt to his feet, his face burning red. When he felt Sanosuke's and Yahiko's eyes upon him as well, he realized that they had stopped fighting and were now staring at him just as Kaoru was. "S-sessha will go refill the water bucket with the water from the well." He quickly grabbed the bucket from next to the door and slid the outside door open and exited house before snapping it shut behind him. 

Sanosuke pried the spiky haired boy who was still wrapped around his head and dropped him on the floor with a loud thud, earning a groan from the boy before he glanced curiously at Kaoru. "What happened, Jou-chan? Kenshin was acting like his pants were on fire."  

Blinking rapidly, Kaoru turned her dumb-founded gaze to the fighter and simply shook her head back and forth in bewilderment. "I honestly don't know," she began weakly, confusion clouding her beautiful blue eyes. "He was hardly eating a thing, pretty much just pushing the food around on his plate. So when I asked him if he was alright and tried to feel if his forehead was warm, he leapt away from me as though my touch had scorched him!"

The fist fighter smirking slightly, the fishbone still sticking out the side of his mouth, "maybe it did, just not in the way you're thinking."

Glaring at him, Kaoru jutted her chin out defiantly at him. "Just what are you implying?"

"Geez, and I thought the boy was thick!" Sano exclaimed about Yahiko while trying to pry him from his leg. "What I'm saying, little missy, is that maybe-- Nah, never mind. You can figure it out on your own." Turning from Kaoru, he focused his attention on trying to shrug Yahiko from the arm he'd attached himself to, "oi! Get off me already, would ya?!"

Ignoring the fighter's problem with the human leech that had become attached to his upper arm, Kaoru frowned at him and rose to her feet. "What, Sano? What were you going to say about Kenshin? Spit it out already!"

"Figure it out," was all he said, managing to pry the kid from his now-sore appendage.

"Sano…" she growled out in warning, once again the sleeves of her gi being pushed upward on her arms.

"Listen, Jou-chan," Sanosuke reiterated, "I'm not going to tell you, okay? It is something that you're just going to have to figure out for yourself."

The next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground by Kenshin's feet at the well outside the dojo. Kaoru's punch had been delivered so swiftly that he hadn't even seen it coming. The outside wall of the dojo now had a gaping hole in it from where she had knocked him through. "... Ow."

Kenshin stared down at the prostrate fighter and then looked over at the destroyed wall of the dojo before turning his gaze back to the man on the ground. "Kaoru?" he asked rhetorically.

"… Yeah."

The redheaded swordsman finished pulling up the bucket he had been drawing up from the well and placed it on the side of the well next to him. He then wiped his hands on the legs of his hakama and bent over to pick up his fallen comrade, ignoring the fighter's groans of pain and protest. "You shouldn't make her angry, that you should not," advised Kenshin belatedly, a small smile touching his lips as his eyes lit up slightly.

"Gee, thanks for the warning," Sano muttered beneath this breath in annoyance. "It came a bit late, though. And besides, it wasn't _me who upset Jou-chan," he said matter-of-factly, poking his index finger into Kenshin's chest. "It was _you_." When Kenshin didn't immediately respond, Sanosuke motioned at the dojo behind him with a nod of his head. "Why were you acting so weird back there? What happened between you and Jou-chan?" _

Pink began to spread color across Kenshin's upper cheeks and across his nose. Then he quickly put on his rurouni mask to cover his discomfort in such an awkward predicament. "What do you mean, Sano? Nothing happened between us, that it did not." When he reached over to pick up the water bucket, the street fighter positioned his body between him and the well on which the container rested. "Kenshin…"

"Sano, please move aside," Kenshin asked quietly, his eyes hidden from sight beneath the blood red bangs that hung low over his face.

"No. Not until you tell me what the hell happened in there."

"Nothing happened between Kaoru-dono and Sessha, that it did not."

"Come on, Kenshin. Quit the Sessha crap and just _tell me what happened!_ It's just you and me out here," he said, draping an arm across the swordsman's small shoulders. "Just talk to me… It's not like I don't know about your feelings for Jou-chan," he added quietly, his eyes staring down at Kenshin's face meaningfully, trying to get him to meet his gaze. 

Kenshin, however, refused to look up to look up at his best friend. He simply shook his head, keeping his eyes hidden beneath his bangs. "It does not matter what Sessha does or does not feel for Kaoru-dono," he began slowly, giving himself time to think out what he was going to say a head of time. "Some things simply cannot happen between us. Kaoru-dono is too young and Sessha is too old. But most importantly, she is not ready for a relationship. Even if she were… Sessha is not worthy of her," he added darkly, "that he is not. Sessha's hands are filthy with the blood of others, Sano," he said, finally looking up to meet his friend's gaze. "I cannot allow her beauty to be soiled or tainted by my own past."

"You say that you're worried about tarnishing her innocence with your own bloody past," Sano repeated, pulling the fishbone from his mouth. "But what about her happiness, Kenshin? Haven't you ever thought about what it is that would make her truly happy? Hasn't the thought that being with you is enough to make her happy ever crossed your mind?" When the swordsman didn't reply, Sanosuke sighed and reached behind him, picking up the bucket and thrust it at him, the wooden container slamming hard into the redhead's chest. Water sloshed over the side of the bucket and down the front of Kenshin's gi and hakama. "Think about it," was all Sanosuke said before turning and stuffing his hands into the pockets of his white pants. He did all that he could to help the thickheaded swordsman come to his senses, so he simply shuffled back to the dojo to leave the contemplative redhead to his thoughts… and to get himself some breakfast before Yahiko ate it all.

Kenshin remained where he stood, the bucket held tightly in his hands; it was as if his feet were nailed to the ground. He stared down into the bucket, lost in his own thoughts. Staring back up at him from the bucket was a man of about 28 years. A deep scar was etched into his cheek and long, fiery red hair hung down in his face. The scar was a constant reminder of what was lost to him- something he thought that he could never again have. The reflection rippled ever so slightly on the surface of the water before he tore his gaze from the image, sighing. It wasn't so much her innocence he was worried about now… it was her life that he worried about. He was afraid his nightmares would come true. The Battousai side of him was nearing the surface; every time an enemy from his past would arrive and challenge him, threaten to harm Kaoru, Yahiko, Sano or Megumi, he could feel the hitokiri buried deep within himself drawing closer to the surface with each challenge. Kenshin was fighting it, trying to keep his other side at bay, but found that he was slowly losing this battle. And whenever Kaoru was near him, it only made it all the harder for him to continue doing so. It was as though she was slowly unraveling his will and determination. And when she had touched him today… 

Kenshin closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath for control. 

"Kenshin?"

His immediately snapped from his thoughts and opened his violet eyes. They flickered to the side to see who called his name, even though he already knew from the voice. His gaze came to rest upon a worried Kaoru. _I didn't even hear her approach, Kenshin thought pensively. _She caught me by surprise… again._  _

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, her forehead knotting in concern when she saw his expression; it wasn't his usual Rurouni attitude, it was darker. "Kenshin?" she repeated hesitantly, looking up at the face of the man who stood not even three feet from her. "Are you alright? If I did something wrong earlier, then I'm sorry-"

"No," Kenshin quickly interrupted, shaking his head. "No, Kaoru-dono, you did nothing wrong. Sessha is fine, that is he." He flashed his usual Rurouni grin to try to convince her that what he said was the truth before turning away to face the well. A lot of water had splashed out of the bucket when Sanosuke had slammed it into his chest, so he needed to fill it back up to make up for the water it now lacked. When he reached for the rope to which he could hook the bucket, a small hand suddenly fell upon his arm, stopping him dead in his tracks. His body tensed at the sudden contact and he was forced to draw in a shaky breath. Control… he had to focus on controlling his emotions….

Kaoru felt and saw the change in both his posture and demeanor. The man beneath her hand stiffened suddenly at her touch… wait, was he _trembling?_

Neither moved. Kenshin could only stare down at the well before him, trying to control his erratic breathing while Kaoru peered nervously at his tense profile, feeling that something was wrong. She immediately released her hold on his arm and moved herself between him and the well before trying again. "Kenshin, please…" her eyes searched his face for some kind of answer. "Talk to me. Tell me what is wrong… please. Just _talk to me_!"

Kenshin swallowed against the lump that rose in his throat, shifting his gaze up to meet her blue one with his own lavender one. "Kaoru-dono… Sessha…" He shook his head, feeling too confused to continue. Sweat beaded on his forehead, a drop slipping down his temple and the side of his face. The muscles of his jaw clenched and released repeatedly as he tightened his hands into fists. _What is happening to me?_

Kaoru looked at him, her worry and concern increasing with each passing second. Kenshin was never like this… What was wrong with him? "Alright, that's it," she finally announced, turning to the side to leave. She was going to send Yahiko to retrieve the lady doctor. "I'm sending Yahiko to fetch for Megumi."

"No!" Kenshin cried out suddenly. His hand immediately grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into him, crushing his body against hers. His eyes were tightly clenched shut as he burrowed his forehead into the junction between her shoulder and neck; his tight embrace prevented her from leaving. One arm secured her body to his around the waist while the other went around her upper back, the hand firmly pressed against the back of her neck, holding it in place. Kenshin raised his head a little and breathed harshly into her shoulder, his body trembling as he held her tighter. "Don't go," he whispered over and over.  His lips moved over the smooth silk of her neck as he whispered inaudibly, lost in his own thoughts. The hand that rested upon the back of her neck slowly moved upward before tangling itself in her thick locks of dark hair. Then the long fingers gently stroked the luxuriously smooth strands against the back of her head. "Don't leave me alone," he finally managed to croak out, lowering his head to rest against the top of her shoulder. 

                                   ~~*~~

Blu-mew: I'm sorry that I didn't reply to your review earlier ^_^;; It had been moved to the second page of reviews and I hadn't seen it! I thank you for your kind comments!

Angle1: I apologize to you as well for having not seen your review initially, but the case was the same as it was for Blue-mew and the review having been shifted to the second page. I thank you for your kind comments, though! Trying to capture both the battousai's personality as well as Kenshin's has been quite difficult, but I'm glad you're pleased with it.

May Storm: Yes, you're quite observant. :) What you had read in chapter one was only a dream.

Shilvigrl/Amyjenc1: I'm glad that you're still reading my chapter updates, Sofa-chan! ^_^;; I hope that you will continue to do so! It is very peculiar that both you and your friend had the same dream like that… It has also happened to my best friend and me as well… Only I was the one who was murdered in the dream. :( It wasn't a very good dream, I'll tell you that!

Sephira jo: ***Quakes with fear* O_o I am afraid… I am very afraid… Hehe, I hope to update it quickly enough for you. ;) Oh, and you want "action" ? I'll try my best in the upcoming chapters, but I'm afraid I've never written anything like that except a poem, heh.**

Disturbed-demon-gurl: Thank you so much for your kind comments! They have instilled some confidence in my story writing abilities. ^_^ Since this is my first RK fic (aside from a poem), I was afraid I wouldn't be very good at it. But I'm glad that you have enjoyed it thus far and yes please do continue reading and reviewing! 

Tanpopo no hana: Argh… You are all too right! I'm afraid that I didn't actually catch that mistake on my part until you had pointed that out! Looks like I'm going to have to do a little editing, doesn't it? ^_^ I whole-heartedly thank you for your helpful comments/reviews! Really appreciate your constructive criticism of my writing! It will only help me to improve!

Ren-Okye: Thanks a lot. :) Will do as soon as I get the opportunity. I'm working on the fourth chapter as we speak, but work is keeping me busy and I've been scheduled to work extra hours this upcoming week, so it may take me longer to finish and post the next chapter than it has for the last two. Those were written remarkably fast due to a lot of 2-3 am mornings that I stayed up to write them, hehe. ^_^;;

Kard of Dark: I thank you for your comments and am glad you've found it as a new way of portraying him!

Yooso: Thanks for letting me know. ^_^ I'll get the next chapter(s) out as soon as I possibly can! Thanks for reading and taking the time to review- it means a lot to me!

Angel Kitty2: Thanks a lot! Yeah, the poor guy is going through a lot of emotional turmoil. That much is for certain!

Nanakilover/Brukaoru: You didn't sound at all harsh so don't worry about it, hehe. I just appreciate your open and honest review! It gives me something to strive harder for in order to improve!

Geminidragon: Thanks a lot! I will do so as soon as my schedule permits.

Arizosa: Thanks a bunch! I hope to keep your curiosity going with the next few chapters! So please stay tuned in for the next chapter! :D

Neko: The Cat That's Everywhere: Meow? O_o hah, I loved Trigun! That was a fantastic show! And you are quite right- that cat was everywhere! :P 

I'm glad that you appreciate all of the detail that I have put into my story. ^^

Once again, thank you all for continuing to read my story! I hope that this third chapter has met all your hopes and that the next installment will also please you! Until next time, take care! ^_^ *Looks at her watch and sees it's 2:30 am* Time for some sleep! 


	4. Chapter Four

Author: Ankara Stark

Title: Reoccurring Nightmares

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't own _Rurouni Kenshin_ or any of its affiliates, but I _do_ own this story. ;)

                                 Chapter Four

                                       ~~*~~

Kaoru was rooted where she stood.  Her body seemed to freeze in his tight embrace, unable to move.  The feeling of his hot breath against the skin between her neck and shoulder made her shudder with some unknown emotions.  But the feeling of his lips moving against her neck when he whispered left her feeling breathless.  She then realized that she had been holding her breath only when his hand came up to her head and gently began to stroke her hair against the back of her head.  The assistant master forced herself to draw in a deep breath, uncertain as to what she was supposed to do.  Kenshin was obviously in a very delicate situation with his emotions and if she were to push him away now, she didn't know how he would react.  But at the same time, why would she _want_ to push him away?  Wasn't she the one who had always longed to hold him close like this?  Not only would she be crazy to refuse him now when he obviously needed her now more than ever, but it would just prove that she was willing to take from him when she was in need but that she wasn't willing to reciprocate for him when he needed a friend.

"D-don't worry, Kenshin," she began nervously, blinking rapidly as she tried to sound calm in order to soothe him.  "… I'm not going anywhere."  With that being said, Kaoru tried to put her arms around him in a hug, only to find that her left arm was completely pinned to her side by his arm.  The arm was tightly wrapped around her torso, preventing her from holding him properly in her own embrace.  So Kaoru did the only thing that she could do and hesitantly wrapped her right arm around his torso, her embrace both gentle but firm at the same time.  She slowly ran her free hand up and down his back in her own attempt to give him the comfort he was so desperately seeking, the calluses of her bokken-trained hands snagging the rough material of his gi.  Something in the back of her mind registered just how well muscled Kenshin's wiry frame really was; all the years he had spent sword-training really seemed to have paid off on his body, leaving it well-toned and corded with modest muscles. A person really couldn't tell by just looking at him, but to actually _feel_ the muscles was something completely different… 

Suddenly she realized that the body beneath her hand had stiffened and the hand in her hair had stopped its caressing the moment she begun to rub his back.  Her own hand stilled in hesitation  "Kenshin?" she inquired quietly, uncertain how to proceed.

"… K-Kaoru-dono?"  Came the reply from the man whose face was pressed into her neck, his breath tickling the smooth flesh it blew across.  Kenshin slowly raised his head and pulled back slightly, his wide lavender eyes staring into her pools of blue. An instant later he let his arms slip away from her body, suddenly breaking the contact as he took a step back to put some space between them.  Something deep inside Kaoru made her almost want to cry out at the loss of physical contact between them.  Her eyes flickered up to his face.  "… Are you alright, Kenshin?"  She couldn't help but to let her gaze slip down slightly to his throat to watch as his Adam's apple rose in his throat as he swallowed nervously against the lump that seemed to have formed there.

"H-hai," he stuttered, his faced now lowered and eyes hidden beneath his red bangs.  He always did that whenever he felt particularly disgusted with himself.  "… Sessha apologizes for having taken advantage of Kaoru-dono, that he does." 

"Kenshin…" she quietly murmured, lifting a hand toward his chin in an attempt to raise his face so she could look into his eyes, but he simply turned his face away in shame before she could touch him.  He refused to meet her gaze, continuing to stare unseeingly down at the ground beneath their feet. "Kenshin," she began, slightly annoyed that he wouldn't look at her and frowned slightly at his action.  So she persisted by gently pressing her fingertips against the smooth underside of his jaw, forcing him to raise his face.  When she still could not see his eyes due to his bangs, she hesitantly raised her other hand to gently brush the fine strands aside, letting her fingertips lightly skim his cheek as she did so.  What should have been a touch that was so light that it barely registered instead sent jolts of electricity through his body, eliciting a gasp from the trembling man.  When she heard his sharp intake of breath, Kaoru steeled her nerves and more firmly pressed her hands against his cheek and jaw, knowing she would never get another chance to do this again.   Her thumb gently caressed the jaw line that it traced as she made her demand.  "Look at me."

Kenshin felt the muscles in his jaw clench and release erratically as he tried to keep his emotions repressed.  Finally, he opened his eyes.  His darker-than-usual lavender gaze flickered down slightly to meet hers, lavender meeting blue, and he wanted nothing more than to loose himself in the beauty of her eyes.  They just stood there like that for several moments: Kenshin, standing stiff as a board with his hands tightly clenching and releasing spastically at his sides, and Kaoru, with both of her hands pressed against the side of his face.

Kaoru stared up at his face, into his eyes, silently probing and searching for the answer she was looking for... whatever that answer was.  Nervously, she licked her lips; she had never been this close to Kenshin, so why _shouldn't_ she be nervous?  She'd always dreamed of a moment like this coming true and here it was!  Her lips then parted and she sharply inhaled in surprise when she realized that Kenshin's now opened eyes were hooded and his gaze had flickered down to her mouth the moment she had licked her lips.  He had been watching the movement of her tongue over her lips like he was entranced by it.  _Is he going to kiss me?_  Kaoru wondered with both nervousness and eager anticipation.  Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, threatening to break loose from her ribcage.  The sword instructor leaned into him, tilting his face down toward hers with her hands while her lips remained parted invitingly.  Her blue orbs searched the face above hers for some clue as to what he was thinking.

Lost in the moment, Kenshin slowly leaned forward as well.  His mind was muddled with emotions.  The samurai raised a rough, calloused hand and pressed it against the side of her neck.  His fingers wrapped around the back of her neck while his thumb gently stroked her jaw line before sliding down to the pulse point of her throat.  That particular area of flesh fluttered madly beneath his thumb, telling him just how furiously the young woman's heart was beating within her.  It also told him what kind of an effect he was having upon her. Straightening slightly, he added a slightly amount of pressure to the pulse-point of her neck with his thumb, gently urging Kaoru to move back a step until her upper thighs were pressed against the rock of the well behind her.  When she complied with his silent demand, he stepped closer as well, backing her up so that she was pinned between his body and the well.  Kenshin gazed down at her flushed face and desire-glazed eyes and felt a small, seductive smile touch his lips.  Just knowing that he had such an affect on the woman, even though he had hardly even touched her, sent a thrill of masculine pride down his spine.  He had longed to be able to touch her and hold her like this for so long, and, oh, did it feel good to actually be able to do so…  He couldn't think, only feel.  His other arm found its way around her waist by its own accord, drawing her lithe form closer to his own.  Kenshin lowered his head and pressed his cheek against hers, enjoying the feel of her flushed, silky skin against his own.  Nothing else mattered then; it was only the two of them- no one else existed in the world.  The samurai then lifted his head and raised the thumb that had been pressed against her smooth throat to the underside of her chin, tilting her face upward, toward his own.  Their faces were only millimeters a part, their panting breaths mingled together in the air of the cool air of the winter morning.  The vapors collided in the air and mixed together into one puff of steam.  It had suddenly become more difficult for him to breathe; he was completely intoxicated by her; a junkie who couldn't get enough of what he craved.  He was addicted to her and only she could give him what it was that he needed.  He nuzzled her throat. Only she could satisfy his hunger.  

"Kaoru," he murmured in a low, husky voice, staring down at her from beneath his hooded eyelids.  The arm around her body constricted, pulling her body impossibly closer to his. 

She couldn't believe that this was happening.  He called her by her name, not with the honorific attachment… and his voice sent a shiver down her spine: he going to kiss her.  She had waited so long for this, and now the moment had finally come.  Slowly, Kaoru let her eyelids slide shut as she tilted her head slightly to the side, anxious yet eager for what was about to happen.  Arching her neck, she hesitantly nosed forward toward the man who held her securely in his arms...

"Kenshin, haven't you gotten that water yet?" yelled a very irate Yahiko just as he slid the dojo door open with Sanosuke standing behind him.  "And where's busu?" he yelled out as well, only the words died on his lips when his gaze focused on the scene being played out before him.  The sight that greeted the two newcomers was one that neither expected and Sano quickly put his hands over the young boy's eyes as a shield, but actually ended up covering his entire face, mouth included, due to the sheer size of his hand.  Sanosuke stared in amazement at the unbelievable scene that was playing out before his very eyes; Kenshin was standing by the well where he'd left him, only it seemed that he had finally taken his advice.  Kaoru was now pinned between him and the stone well... and she didn't seemed to mind being trapped between them by any means.  The magenta-wearing samurai's arms were tightly wrapped around her body and he held her close while tilting Kaoru's face upward toward his own.  But the part that had Sanosuke most surprised was the fact that their mouths were about to touch in a kiss. 

"Whoa!"  The fighter yelped, the fish bones held between his teeth nearly falling from his mouth, and grabbed Yahiko by the front of his training uniform and jerked him back into the dojo, quickly snapping the door shut.  He just hoped that he and Yahiko hadn't interrupted them when about to actually show the feelings for one another that they had been denying for so long. 

"S-sano.. Did you just see what I _think_ I've just seen?"  Yahiko asked shakily, lifting his gaze to peer up at the fighter next to him, his eyes wide in shock.

Sanosuke swallowed nervously before a sly grin spread over his face.  "Yeah, Yahiko. I think we just witnessed a miracle."  Slipping his arm over the boy's shoulder, the white-clad fighter leaned down sideways.  "I think our little Kenshin's finally realized that he's in love."

Yahiko's shocked expression became even more surprised. "In love? With who?"

The tall man glared down at him. "Boy, are you dense!  Who do you think, after seeing what you just saw outside?" 

After a moment, Yahiko's expression of shock quickly melted away into a disgusted face.  "Eww… He's in love with that busu?  I think that he's been hit over the head with too many bokkens if that is the case!"

Sanosuke rolled his eyes. "You stupid kid.  Jou-chan is actually a nice looking gal; just wait until you're old enough to realize just how wonderful women are… even Kaoru.  But you're too young for that now, kid."

"Pfft," Yahiko snorted aloud and stubbornly crossed his arms across his chest.  "I don't care _how_ old I get- no amount of years could make me see that _busu_ as attractive, unless when I'm old I'm completely blind and just being able to see _anything_ would look good to me."

"Heh," was Sano's reply. "I wouldn't tell Kenshin that, if I were you.  But just wait until you get yourself a girlfriend." He paused for a moment before his mouth formed into a smirk. "Then again, with that attitude, Yahiko," he continued, "You'll _never_ get a girlfriend- your 'charm' would scare them all away."

Indignantly the young boy glared up at the fighter, "I could too get a girlfriend if I wanted!" he shot back.  "In fact, I know one girl who I could charm right off her feet right now!" 

"I meant someone _other_ than the girls in your dreams!"

"Gah!"

"Stupid kid."

"Don't call me a kid!" he snapped.  "And besides, how would someone like _you_ know anything about women?  The only thing you seem to do to them is tick them off rather than sweep them off their feet!"

"I've been known to sweep the ladies off their feet," Sanosuke said with a suave, debonair smile.

"Oh, yeah?  And how much did you have to pay them to like you?**"**

**…**

"Ouch!" Yahiko yelped aloud, rubbing his head and staring up at the fighter next to him.  "What was that for, tori-atama?!"

"That was a warning so that you will learn when to keep that mouth of yours shut, kid," he replied, casually leaning back against the wall behind him.  

"You do seem to have bad luck with girls, though," Yahiko continued, rubbing the ever-growing lump at the top of his head.  "I mean you can't even get Megumi to like you!"

Sanosuke growled and took a menacing step toward the young boy, glaring at him.  "The fox likes me alright," he muttered.  "She's just being stubborn."

"Hah! She's a smart woman," Yahiko retorted, smirking.  "Why would _any_ intelligent being, whether it's a human or not, want to go for a tori-atama like you?" 

That earned the young man another bash over the head, much to his chagrin.  "Stop hitting me," he yelped out in annoyance.

"Then stop insulting me, you little brat."

"Grr! Quit calling me that," Yahiko shouted, leaping up on his friend and began to gnaw on his head once again before the two were rolling around on the floor in yet another brawl, arguing about Tsubame and "the fox" Megumi liking them, the two people they had seen standing outside immediately forgotten... 

He held her close, tilting her face up toward his.  Kenshin stared down at her flushed cheeks and plump lips, yearning for nothing more than to kiss her.  He watched as her lids fell, the dark eyelashes standing out in stark contrast against the creamy white complexion of her skin.  Moving of their own accord, his own eyelids languidly slid closed as well.  He slowly bent his neck down toward her while she arched hers up toward him, their hot breaths mingling in the cold air.  His mouth was about to claim hers when suddenly…

"Kenshin, haven't you gotten that water yet?"  Yahiko shouted as he barged from the inside of the dojo, only to grunt as he was obviously being yanked back inside.  The snap of the dojo door sliding shut was then heard, but the damage had already been done.  Kenshin snapped to his senses the instant the young boy's voice had been heard and stiffened immediately, his body freezing where it stood, his hands and arms still on and wrapped around her lithe form.  A moment later, the samurai slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring into Kaoru's startled blue ones.  Blinking rapidly and giving his head a shake as if to clear it, he quickly released her, breaking any physical contact between them and immediately began raining his murmured apologies down upon her. His cheeks were flushed a brilliant hue of pink and head was hung with shame and embarrassment.

A shade of pink stole across the already-flushed young woman's cheeks the moment that she had opened her eyes.  Then an instant later fear took over.  She knew the moment that her young apprentice had barged outside yelling for Kenshin what the samurai was going to do; he was going to leave. _I can't let him leave,_ she thought, panicking. _I can't let him leave- not like this!_  Quickly, she moved toward him even as he stumbled backwards, away from her.  Before she could reach out to grab him, however, he moved backwards and his foot collided with the laundry tub sitting in the yard.

The instant Kenshin felt the wooden bucket he knew what was about to happen.  But with his senses and reflexes still haywire from the emotional stress he'd just been going through during his encounter with Kaoru, he wasn't able to react quickly enough to prevent such a mistake.  He fell backwards, grabbing out for the clothesline to help prevent his fall.  But the line quickly snapped due to his weight and he found himself falling into the tub filled with icy water.  The water splashed out of it in all directions, soaking both him and his clothing thoroughly… and there he just sat in the wooden bucket, up to his elbows in water.  His eyes were hidden beneath the bangs of red hair that dripped a few drops of water.  Kenshin let out an exasperated sigh and the exhaled air turned into a vapor he could see in the cool winter weather.  He simply hung his head and didn't bother to get up, seeming to be more content to just sit and freeze his butt off in the icy water than face the woman who stood over him.

Kaoru stared with wide eyes with a hand over her mouth, trying to hide her shock.  She pulled her hand away from her face and bit her lip, giving the man a sympathetic look, uncertain as to whether she should help him up or just leave him alone to wallow in his complete and utter misery.  Then she remembered Kenshin would get sick if he stayed in the frigid water.  Kaoru immediately stepped forward and knelt down on the wet ground before him.  "Kenshin?" she inquired quietly, a nervous tinge to her voice.  She tried to look into his eyes, but he wouldn't let her and she let out an exasperated sigh herself.  Poor guy.  She rose to her feet and held a hand out to him.  "Stand up… You'll get sick if you stay in the water like this- it's too cold out here!" When he didn't move, she frowned and planted her hands on her hips in her typical defiant stands. "Kenshin, get up. You're going to get sick if you stay in there like that." She extended her hand once again toward the drenched swordsman. 

Slowly, he took her hand and with her help stood up.  But he was still unable to bring himself to look her in the eye.  "If Kaoru-dono does not mind," he began quietly.  "This unworthy one would like to go heat up the cooking fire again and hang my clothing next to it so that it dry faster."

Her eyes slid closed in pain when he said her name with the honorific added to it.  It felt as though he had just slapped her across the face.  "Of course, Kenshin," she coolly agreed, the volume of her voice no louder than a whisper.  "I could go heat up the bath if you'd like to get a hot bath; it would help you warm up." She looked down at her hands and tried to hold back the tears that threatened to break loose as she turned her back on him to walk toward the bathhouse. 

"No, but thank you for your kind offer, Kaoru-dono."  The soaked samurai slowly walked past her, water dripping his clothing, making the garments unusually clingy, hanging heavily to every muscle of his body as he walked away.  "That will not be necessary."  The woman behind him watched as him left to change into a dry yukata.  Kaoru sighed in both sorrow and frustration.  She had been so close… _so damned close_.  The moment she had been waiting for so long had finally arrived, only to be ruined by that little _brat_.  Her eyes immediately narrowed with both anger and frustration, and she frowned.  She'd make sure that he had a lot of extra strokes and sword exercises to practice because of his interruption…  With that thought in mind, Kaoru turned on her heel and stalked toward the dining area of the dojo, her mind set only on dealing with her young, troublesome apprentice and to release some of the pent-up frustration she was experiencing because of a certain redheaded swordsman. 

~~*~~      

Author's notes: I hope that this chapter gave you a little bit of romance ^_~ Yes, there will be more romance in the future. Hopefully, though, this chapter met the satisfaction of all you reviewers and thank you all for your continued reviewing! I really appreciate the input!

And I'm sorry that I still haven't gotten around to fixing the second chapter as of yet ^_^;; But when I actually find the time to work on my writing, I'm usually trying to work on the next chapter of the story rather than to go back to my old files, update them, save them again, alter the document type and re-upload the files again ^_^;; But I will get around to doing it soon, though! Promise! Thank you all for your patience!

Also, there will be a slight change in the story line of the second chapter once I go back to edit it. Hopefully, it will help clear up any/all confusion that the chapter may have caused. 

-Ankara xox

Replies to all your reviews: Thanks again for all your reviews, guys! 

AnGeLiK-NiKoLe: Did this chapter answer your question? Hehe.

Tanpopo no hana: Thank you kindly. And yes, informative input is always very helpful!

Shivigrl/Amyjenc1: People react differently to the different forms of emotional stress. He's in love with Kaoru, but is afraid to show it and when she touched him like she did, it sent his senses reeling and left him trembling. Emotions make people's systems go haywire sometimes and become very unpredictable, per say. 

Arizosa: Thank you very much. I was hoping to be able to properly capture the character's personalities ^_^;; glad you like them!

LiLV13TaNhDao: Thank you kindly, and I will do just that!

Angle1: Hehe, thanks a bunch. And yeah, you could say his feelings have slipped.

DarkShadowHuntress: Eep! Not another stalker! O_o nah, hehe, it's okay. Stalk the story all you want. ;) I'm glad that you're enjoying it so far, though!

BabyKaoru-Sama: Aye, he is. But love will do that to someone. ;)

Kard of Dark: Thank you very much. I hope that this chapter was pleasing enough for you!

POAS: Thank you. :)

Silky3: Hehe, thank you kindly. :) I was very happy to read all of the reviews that people had posted. It makes me want to continue my writing. And to answer your question, this actually takes place after the Kyoto/Shishio incident. The reason that I used Jin'e for the dream instead of Shishio is because Jin'e had helped to lure the Battousai out by using Kaoru and was also the one who told Kenshin that a manslayer is just a manslayer until the day he dies, and because of him saying that in addition to him almost turning back into the Battousai while battling him, Kenshin constantly fears that there will be someone he'll have to kill in order to save her and will _definitely_ cause him to turn back into the hitokiri… The reason that I used Jin'e in the dream was because of how close he had come to killing him before Kaoru stopped him. Kenshin fears that next time neither he nor she would be able to stop him from killing the person. Anyhow, keep reading the story! The upcoming chapters will help to clear things up for you (hopefully!)… hope I didn't confuse you with my answer here ^_^;;

Gracianeko: Aye, I do. ;) And it seems to always keep you coming back for more, ne?

And to answer your question, Kenshin is trying to deal with emotions that are suddenly breaking free. He fears for her safety because of the Battousai that is coming to the surface, yet at the same time he wants her to be with him. Her presence soothes him and he needs her there to comfort him… yet he's afraid that he might hurt her. So there is a lot of confusion for him right now.  Anyhow, I hope that helped answer your question. ^_^;;

Linggoddess: Hehe, yep, I update this fic whenever I can! 

Linggoddess: Yes, I love my cliffhangers ^_^ hehe. And to answer your question, "Sessha" is what Kenshin refers to himself as when he is in "Rurouni" mode rather than Battousai mode. "Sessha" basically means "this unworthy one," or something along the lines of that. Anyhow, I hope that helped!

Sephira jo: Hehehe, I am :P and will do. ^.^

Cat, Avatar for the DCG: Yes, that was one of the things that I wanted to edit but haven't yet had the time (and patience ^_^;;) or opportunity to do so. But I will once I get the next possibility! I don't like leaving my readers confused, so I apologize for the problem it may have caused!

Animepanda1: I'm trying to update ASAP! :D

Disturbed-demon-gurl: Thank you for your kind review of my work! :D … But don't die O_o Hehe… And here I used to think that writing Gundam Wing fan fictions was my specialty when I was younger, heh… Thanks for telling me what you think! :)

Hells-angel8: Yeah, he can be really thickheaded sometimes _ But that's Kenshin, right? We wouldn't love him any other way!

Emsdesire: Thank you very much!

No-one-of-impotance: Hehe, I hope that this chapter answered your question!

Nanakilover/Brukaoru: Will do as soon as I possibly can! :D

May strom: Yes, haywire emotions will may anyone act peculiarly, wouldn't you say? ;)

Ren-Okye: Aye! That is very true. Thank you for your review! :D

Shi-Shi: I will try to keep updating it as soon as possible, but work gets in the way and my college classes start back up in six days. Because of that, it may take me a while because of that, too ^_^;;

Azura Dea: Oh no, another person is threatening me! ^_^;; *gulps* It looks like I'd better get the next chapter out soon!

Dragonmasterduelist: I appreciate your kind input and opinion on my fiction! Thank you very much!

Neko: The Cat That Is Everywhere: Actually, I was trying to reply to all the reviews and when I accidentally refreshed the review page, I found yours, lol. I hope that this chapter has helped to answer your question a little about what is happening (or at least tease you a bit with a little romantic writing, hehe). And I will continue writing, don't you worry about that! Again, thanks for both reading and reviewing!


	5. Chapter Five

Author: Ankara Stark

Title: Reoccurring Nightmares

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't own _Rurouni__ Kenshin_ or any of its affiliates, but I _do_ own this story. ;)

                                 Chapter Five

                                       ~~*~~

            The rest of the morning moved at an unbelievably slow pace; it was almost unbearable for the people who lived in the dojo.  Noon had already passed and none of the dojo's inhabitants were talking with one another; the tension so thick that one could practically cut it with a knife.  Even Sanosuke said that he was going to leave before Kaoru talked him back into staying…  Even though she was annoyed with the fighter, She didn't seem to want to be left alone with just Kenshin and Yahiko for company.  But that quickly changed by lunchtime and Sanosuke ended up leaving.  Both the lunchtime and dinnertime meals were served and eaten in complete silence, the only sound heard was the clanking of dishes or the clicking of chopsticks in the bowls.  No one dared to speak, and even if they did, they didn't know what to say. 

After cleaning up the dishes from lunch, Kenshin decided to do some of his usual household chores, hoping that they might help break some of the tension for him. Kneeling on the ground before the washtub he had fallen into earlier that morning, he rolled up the long sleeves of his gi and set to work.  Grabbing the nearest piece of clothing, he stared down at it for a moment before plunging it into the icy-cold water.  Then he placed it against the scrubbing board and commenced scrubbing.  It was Yahiko's gi… _Oh, Yahiko,_ Kenshin thought, releasing a silent sigh.  _Sometimes I love that boy, other times I could almost hate him, that I could._  Yahiko had earned a special place in Kenshin's heart.  Born the son of a Samurai, Yahiko had an extremely proud and independent spirit.  But sometimes, he also had a need for himself and Kaoru; they were his family now that his real family was dead and Kaoru had taken him in like he was family; she took them all in that way; Himura Kenshin, the ex-Hitokiri Battousai, the legendary manslayer-turned-wanderer, Myojin Yahiko, the pick-pocket-turned swordsman, Sagara Sanosuke, the ex Zanza, fighter for hire, and even Takani Megumi, the ex-opium-dealing doctor.  Kaoru had taken them all into her home, no questions asked, and treated them with the respect and dignity that none thought they deserved.  They had become not only her friends but instead her family.  But the events of this morning had left no doubt in Kenshin's mind as to what he thought about Kaoru and what she thought about him in return.  Their relationship wasn't that of friends or family like Kaoru's was with Sanosuke or Yahiko, that much was for certain.  But at the same time, they weren't lovers… heck, they hadn't even technically kissed… so what exactly were they?  He really didn't know.  

_Kenshin had been scrubbing the floor of the dojo when he heard someone clearing his throat behind him.   Glancing over his shoulder, his gaze fell upon Sanosuke who was sitting upon the front steps, watching him clean.  "If you're going to stay around here all day long," Kenshin began as he turned back to his scrubbing, "you should at least help out with some of the chores, that you should."  _

_"Why?" The fighter argued with a lazy grin upon his face.  "It looks like you and the little missy have it all under control.  And besides, you've also got Yahiko scrubbing the floors in the training hall; you don't need my help."  He stretched and put his arms behind his head, letting out a contented sigh.  "This is the way things were meant to be, Kenshin," Sano continued, ignoring the fact that his friend was hard at work scrubbing the wood floor as he lay back against the house's support pillar. "Eating good cooking, lounging around a clean dojo, seeing the fox and then gambling the night away.  How could things get any better than this?" _

_"By having you actually _win_ back some of the money you've lost when you gamble so that you can help pay me back for all the food you've been eating, you freeloader," Kaoru replied dryly, suddenly appearing next to Sano on the front step, a broom in hand.  "Besides, didn't I **already** ask you to go sweep the inside of the dojo?  Somehow I doubt you could have done that already…" she commented, arching one perfect eyebrow.  "Anyhow, I had to go into town to get us some rice for lunch.  I could have sent you to do it, but I figured I would be nice and instead of making you walk all that way just make you sweep the dojo."  Continuing on in her high-and-mighty tone, Kaoru was completely oblivious to the fact that Kenshin was watching her every movement as she talked very expressively with her hands waving about in the air.  Sanosuke, however, was anything but oblivious to this fact.  His gaze was fastened on Kenshin, whose gaze was glued to Kaoru. But Sano's lack of attentiveness ticked Kaoru off because he wasn't paying any attention to what she said.  The Kamiya-Kasshin master scowled at the man sitting before her on the porch and decked him upside the head with the broom, earning a yelp of surprise from him.  "Hey! Are you even **listening** to me, you rooster head?!" she snapped in annoyance, releasing the broom handle and letting the cleaning utensil fall to the floor harmlessly. "I was telling you about how **nice** I was by making you sweep the dojo rather than walk all the way to the market!"_

_Rubbing the backside of his head, Sanosuke looked down at the broom that was now lying on the floor and glared up at the small woman standing before him. "Yes, I heard you the first time, missy," he growled._

_"Then you should have at least let it be known that you heard what I was saying," Kaoru retorted, her hands on her hips in her typical defiant stance. _

_Putting his palms on the steps, the thin man pushed himself up, rising to his feet and stepping down so he was on ground level with Kaoru. Standing, the man towered over her, still glaring down at her while he did so. "Maybe I didn't want to do so. Maybe I don't **care** if you're talking- I don't have to listen to you anyway. You don't run my life, little missy!"_

_Gritting her teeth together in anger, she raced up the few steps and straightened up to her full height, glaring at Sanosuke from an almost eye-level point-of-view.  "You'll listen to what I have to say if you want to keep eating here, you good-for-nothing---"_

_"Maa!__ Maa!" Kenshin interrupted, standing up from where he had been kneeling on the floor.  "Sano," he began, giving the fighter a very serious look.  "Kaoru-dono works very hard every day in order to keep food in our stomachs and a roof over our heads.  The very least you could do is help out around the dojo by doing whatever chores she asks you to do." _

_"Look," Sano argued, waving his hand in the air. "You do whatever you want.  If you want to be her little puppet, you go right a head.  But **I** sure as hell don't have to take this.  And besides," he shrugged.  "I've already lost my appetite."  He shoved his large hands into the pockets of his white pants and turned to the redhead, ignoring Kaoru completely. "If you want me, Kenshin, I'll be over at the Fox's."  With that, he turned and walked away from them, out the dojo gates until he was out of sight.  _

_Her face turning beat red, Kaoru nearly launched herself from the step after the retreating figure in anger. "Why you--"_

_Quickly reaching out and grabbing her around the waist with one arm, Kenshin pulled her back onto the porch, away from Sanosuke before she could fully launch herself at him.  _

_"Mou!"__  Kaoru cried out in exasperation, not taking notice of her current position.  "I just don't see whatever it is Megumi sees in that idiot!  That man infuriates me!  I mean it! He's nothing but a rotten, gambling, swindling freeloader who does nothing but drink and lounge around all day while everyone else around him works! … And what the hell did he mean by that 'puppet' comment anyway?  You're not my puppet! It's not like you do everything I tell you to or like you're--" When Kenshin didn't interrupt her ramblings, she whirled around to face him, her mouth opening to question him, but no question ever came.  They both just stood there, with his arms wrapped around her waist, standing nose-to-nose in the middle of the afternoon. Neither made a move to break contact and instead stared straight into the other's eyes.  _

Kenshin closed his eyes and sighed in frustration, once again futilely trying to push the memories of the morning's events from his mind. _Focus,_ he thought to himself as he tried to focus all of his attention on the task at hand; as usual, during lunch, Yahiko had been eating in his usual unappetizing manner and ending up getting more food on his clothing than in his mouth.  He had spilled most of his food on his gi and now the older samurai was trying to clean the stains out of the uniform before they set in completely.  Right now, the younger swordsman, Yahiko, was in the dojo, still doing all of the practice strokes that Kaoru had ordered him to do from their brawl earlier that morning in addition to an extra two thousand strokes that she had suddenly demanded of him for some reason or another when Kenshin had gone off to change into yukata.  His own clothing had dried by the fire for several hours before he changed back into them.  Even though Kenshin wouldn't say anything about it, he knew why Kaoru had ordered the boy to do so many extra strokes and he felt himself smile slightly.  Poor Yahiko, though- he didn't stand a chance at not having extra things to practice whenever he ticked his instructor off, intentionally or not.  Sometimes, though, the young boy deserved what he got.  Sometimes, he could be a real troublesome person… Kenshin frowned slightly, remembering that it was the fault of the young boy that had been the reason he wasn't able to kiss Kaoru that morning.  If it weren't for his interruption, Kaoru may have been his by now—

_Well then,_ interrupted his other half, breaking into his thoughts.  _Shouldn't you be **happy** that he interrupted us?  After all, we were really **getting it on** with Kaoru…_

_No, **we** were not_, he thought irritably, arguing with his darker side.  **_I_**_ was… and, well, I guess I should be glad he stopped me,_ he reluctantly agreed with an inaudible sigh.  Who knew what might have happened had Kenshin given in fully to his own emotions and desires?  It was a thought that both captured his curiosity and also worried him.   

The ex-hitokiri dunked Yahiko's gi back into the water and placed it against the board again, unconsciously scrubbing more vigorously than he had the first time and sighed.  Even though he was glad Yahiko had stopped him before they went too far, it was still frustrating nonetheless.  He could still feel the warmth of Kaoru's yielding body in his arms; smell the jasmine scent of her hair in his nostrils and feel the silky smoothness of her skin beneath his hand, the heat of her skin against his lips… and yet he could do nothing more than just cherish those memories and dream of them.  He'd never get another chance to hold her like that, even though part of him wished to, his other half held him back.  He didn't want to tarnish her reputation or smear her purity and only Kami knew what would happen if his emotions were to get out of control… the Hitokiri inside him might be released, and that was something he most definitely could not risk.  Kaoru meant far too much to him for him to let something like that happen.  He needed to protect her, no matter what the cost.  But he couldn't help how he felt and found his thoughts soon returning to a certain petite-muscled female.  Twisting the material in his hands tightly, he wrung out the excess water and gave it one vigorous shake.  Wiping his wet hands upon the pant legs of his hakama, Kenshin stood up from the washtub full of sudsy water and hung the single article on the line with the rest of the drying clothes.  Satisfied with his completed job, Kenshin bent down and emptied the tub of water, turning it upside down and resting it on the ground so it would dry properly. 

The sound of crashing bokkens broke him away from his thoughts, directing his attention to the practice hall where two small figures stood in profile, facing one another in fighting stances, their weapons together in the air. Kenshin had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't realized quite how dark it had become outside until he looked at the two shadowy figures; it was going to storm, from the look of the sky and clouds.  The only light that was afforded to him came from inside the practice hall, not letting him make out the features of the two figures that stood facing one another.  One was the small, straight-lined figure of a boy, the short, spiky hair giving away his identity in an instant.  The other, a slightly taller, more curvaceous form easily recognized as a woman with long hair tied behind her head in a long, flowing ponytail stood before him.  After a few moments, the taller figure suddenly struck out at the smaller, less-intimidating figure, their weapons clashing once more in the crisp winter air before she backed away a step.  Kenshin remained standing by the clothesline, continuing to intently watch the two figures fight in the training hall… Well, watching the female figure, anyway.  He didn't really watch the other figure that much; his eyes were practically glued to the female's dark form and he found himself unable to look away.  Even in the growing darkness of the incoming storm, she was still utterly breathtaking in his eyes.  After readjusting one article of clothing that was hanging on the line, Kenshin reached up to the shoulders of his gi and untied the bindings that held his sleeves up so they would remain dry while he washed the laundry.  He slips the thin rope of material up into his sleeve and put it in a little pocket inside there.  The clashing of wood-on-wood resounded throughout the property, letting those who walked by the dojo walls know that swordsmen were hard at work on the property.  

"I guess I'd best go to town and pick of some fish for dinner before it storms," Kenshin murmured to himself.  Reaching into his gi, the swordsman removed a very old and worn pouch and checked through it to see how much yen he had.  Turning toward the two fighters who were still attacking and blocking one another's attacks, he raised his voice.  "Kaoru-dono, I'm going to town to get us some fresh fish for dinner before it storms.  I will return soon, that I will." 

The sounds of fighting stopped for a moment as he heard Kaoru's reply.  "Okay, Kenshin.  Just let me put away my bokken and I'll go with you--"

"No, that is quite alright, Kaoru-dono," the redhead standing near the dojo gates interrupted, glancing back over his shoulder and the two figures standing at the entrance of the fighting hall.  "You stay and practice with Yahiko.  I'll get the fish on my own."               

"Yeah, ugly.  Kenshin doesn't need you to go with him.  He can go to town himself!"

"Shut up, Yahiko**-_chan_**!" came Kaoru's feisty retort.  "I'm going with you, Kenshin, so just wait a minute and I'll be right th--" her voice abruptly came to a halt when she glanced over at the closed dojo gates, only to find no Kenshin in sight. "Mou!"  Was Kaoru's cry as she pouted ever-so-slightly and crossed her arms in-front of her chest. "That man is so damned stubborn!"  

When Kenshin returned to the dojo about an hour later, he was surprised to find the place practically deserted. Yahiko was nowhere to be found and only Kaoru was present.  Sitting on the front step, Kaoru rested with her chin on her hands, her elbows resting on her knees.  She was staring at the front gate when he entered through them and raised her head when he came into view.  "Kenshin!"  She stood up and ran down the front steps toward him.

"Kaoru-dono, is something wrong?" The older swordsman queried as he closed the gate behind him.  "Where is Yahiko?  Is he alright?"

"Yahiko is fine," Kaoru replied, stopping next to him.  "He went to the Akebeko while you were out to see Tsubame and help Tae by starting his work shift."

"Oh, I see," Kenshin commented absently, his mind not really focused on the young swordsman their conversation revolved around.  He began walking toward the dojo, seemingly lost in thought.  Kaoru walked alongside him at a rather slow and relaxing pace.  After a few moments of silence, Kenshin finally spoke up.  "When did he leave?  Have you been here alone for long?"

She simply shrugged her shoulders, her arms swinging lazily at her sides.  "He left only about ten or so minutes after you did.  It seems that he wasn't really all that interested in training today," she commented blandly, as if trying to think of something to talk about. "But he did, however, seem very interested in getting to the restaurant so that he could see that certain young waitress he's had his eye on," she added with a sly wink, smiling and glancing sidelong at Kenshin, hoping her comment would earn her a smile from the man walking next to her.  Her smile soon faded, however, when she glanced over at him.  His eyebrows were furrowed slightly and eyes were clouded over as though he were deep in thought. "Kenshin?"  When the redhead did not reply, Kaoru stopped walking and put a hand on his forearm, stilling him.  By this time, they had already reached the front step of the porch.  She turned her body and turned his so that they would be facing one another as they stood.  "Kenshin, are you alright?" she asked hesitantly.  "You have been acting very strange lately," she began slowly, uncertain as to how the man before her would react.  "What is the matter?  Is there something that I can do to help?"

Wordlessly, Kenshin finally looked up at her, his warm gaze meeting hers before he finally nodded.  "I'm fine, Kaoru-dono.  You should not spend so much of your time and energy worrying about this unworthy one."  Reaching up, he gently touched a strand of hair that fell over her ear.  

Her blue eyes widened, amazed and shocked at this open show of affection.  _What is happening to him?  __Why is he acting so differently all of the sudden?  Is he leaving? That must be it- he's leaving.  He's going to leave **me!  I can't let him!  Her mind began to race, overeating, and her body reacted to her last thought.  Kaoru launched herself at the swordsman, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.  "Kenshin, you aren't thinking of leaving, are you?  You can't do that!  Please, don't do that… You, you **__can't do that!" she reiterated, finding herself stumbling over her own words again and again.  "You can't do that to Sano, to Yahiko and Megumi… To me!  Not now, not ever!"  Even though she shocked herself by her sudden, bold action, her hold on him tightened as she began to weep into his magenta gi, soaking the material with her tears.  Her lips brushed against the smooth skin of his chest as she inhaled a scent that was distinctly Kenshin.  She pulled him closer and closer… he just couldn't get close enough.  _

Equally surprised at her sudden outburst, Kenshin leaned down sideways and lowered the fresh fish he'd bought at the market to the front step, the fish still wrapped in its protective coverings so it would not get dirty.  He then wrapped his lean arms around the woman before him in a comforting fashion, holding her body as it trembled against his.  "Shh… Shh, Kaoru, I'm not going anywhere," he murmured appreciatively into her ear, the warmth of his breath sending a shiver of delight down her spine.  He stilled his body and tried to ignore the feelings of desire that welled-up in him at the feel of her lips brushing against him.  His hand stroked soothing circles on her back, comforting her as her sobs began to subside. "I'm not leaving you, that I am not."  Shifting her slightly in his arms, he brought one hand up to stroke along her jawline until he could use that hand to gently elevate her face so that she would be forced to look up at him.  Red, blood-shot eyes stared back weakly into his gentle lavender ones, the dire state of distress in her eyes wrenching his heart.  Ignoring the surprisingly strong urge he felt to kiss away her tears right then and there, he instead lifted the hand that raised her face a little higher to wipe away the solitary tear that trickled down her alabaster cheek.  He then asked why she thought he was going to leave, even though he himself was not sure he wanted to know the answer.    

 Sniffling softly, she turned her face away, unable to look at him as she whispered her rely, "You… you've been acting so different lately.  You haven't been yourself."  When she noticed his stance straighten slightly, she quickly rushed to say the rest of what she was thinking.  "Sano and Yahiko noticed it, too… Yes, even they have noticed that there is something different about you.  We've all been worried, Kenshin."  

"There is no reason to be worried, Kaoru-dono… Really… I'm fine," he murmured, hugging her to him once again before relinquishing his hold upon her.  He couldn't possibly tell her about the dreams; not now, not when she was obviously already so upset.  He'd have to tell her when she had calmed down.  

_Why do you have to tell her at all?_ His darker side asked.  _She doesn't need to know about it.  It wasn't her dream, after all; it was ours._

_Yes, but she cares about us,_ Kenshin argued back.  _She has a right to know._

_Not right now, she doesn't,_ the other side retorted.  _Look at her- look how upset she is.  She wouldn't be able to handle the truth right now in the current state she is in.  Just let it go for now and hold her while you still can…  _

  "Now," Kenshin murmured, breaking from his thoughts and trying to change the subject, "this unworthy one needs to start making dinner if we want to eat tonight," he said with a gentle smile.  "Would you like to help me with it?"  

Noting the turn in conversation, Kaoru paused for a moment, wondering if she should pursue the issue or just let it drop for the mean time.  Seeing the look in his eyes, she decided the latter and finally nodded in response.  "Hai, Kenshin, but you know what Sanosuke and Yahiko are always saying: I'm not a very good cook…"

"Your cooking is perfect, Kaoru-dono," he replied with a smile.  "And besides," he asked with a devious little smile, "who could possibly screw up cooking something as simple as rice?"  Kenshin let out a yelp when she smacked him in the back of the head.  Smiling, he bent down to retrieve the wrapped fish from the front stoop and turned back to Kaoru, extending a hand in the air toward her.  "Are you coming?"

Smiling at the gesture, Kaoru blushed slightly and slowly accepted his hand, slipping her own into his larger one, her blush increasing when he gave it an affectionate squeeze.  Together, the two of them walked into the dojo to begin their cooking.  

~*~

**Author's Notes: **I hope that this update will be enough to hold you guys over ^_^;; I'm afraid that I have been too busy in the past few months to update this story, as I've been going full time to college and working two jobs! Eep… Anyhow, since I got my wisdom teeth pulled a few days ago, it has given me the opportunity to just sit down and focus on my writing a bit. :) 

Okay, I've updated chapters 2-4, editing them and making a few minor changers here and there- nothing drastic by any means!

Now on to the reviews!

**GeminiDragon****: I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed chapter four's installment! I was so nervous about how you guys would react ^_^;;**

**Angle1:** *Watches her stomp* O_o;; Poor Kenshin. I hope Kaoru gets to him before you do!

**Tsuki**** Karasu: Hopefully you have not gone _too_ insane since the time of my last update ;)**

**ShilviGrl/Amyjenc1**: Hehe, I'm glad that my explanation helped to clear things up for you! Hopefully it made enough sense and I didn't just go on incessantly rambling as I'm sometimes known to do… I mean… err, dammit, there I go again! ^_^;;

**Ami-chan15**: I most certainly will!

**Ren-Okye**: Psst, c'mon, would it really be Yahiko in the story if he _didn't_ do something to piss the readers off? ;) *waits for the flames to come from Yahiko fans* hehe

**BabyKaoru-Sama****: Oh, thank you so much ^_^ That really means a lot to me! I hope that you have, indeed, been writing more fan fictions!**

**Hells-angel8:** Thank you very much for your kind and appreciative words.  The scene between Kenshin and Kaoru in their "romantic delirium" had to have been one of the most fun scenes to write so far in the story… I really enjoyed it and I'm glad you did as well!

**Sephira**** jo: Ah, thank you kindly! It is really great to see how readers keep coming back to this story. It really means a lot to me to know that you all are enjoying it!**

Eep! No sticks, though :P Play nice, hehe

**Lere****: A… lemon? *shrinks away* I'm afraid to unleash my evil writing powers on a lemon fan fic… It is tempting, though, I will give you that. ;)**

**Disturbed-demon-gurl:** Description is definitely the best technique an author can use during stories like these… It not only helps to bring the reader into the story, but it also helps the reader in conveying the story by making him or her also feel like he or she is right there, a part of the story rather than just a narrator. 

**Gracianeko****: Wow, _someone certainly likes to read into the story. : ) good! Actually, Kenshin does know that he's built up the wall between him and her once again- he intentionally put it there- because he's afraid that if he gets too close to her again that there may be some… consequences. He loves Kaoru dearly, but because of that, he doesn't want to open himself up to her because he feels it would not only hurt her, but also bring pain upon himself. I hope that helped to answer your question, hon!_**

**Nate0130**: Hehe… depends on who you ask. : ) There are a few selective authors that I choose to read because I truly love their works and feel that they are unrecognized masterpieces.

**Kouri**: Thanks for the… mochi? *blinks*  ^_^;;

**Arizosa****: Hehe, I _hope that I've captured his personality correctly. *glances around nervously and jumps into a fire-retardant suit in fear that the Yahiko fans won't come around to flame her*_**

**Polka dot**: Shh.!! Yahiko's fans will hear you O_o

**Koneko**** Battousai: Thank you kindly… Yeah, I've been unfair to Kaoru in this, haven't I? Teasing the hell out of her by holding Kenshin in front of her, only to pull him away again… *sigh***

**Nanakilover/Brukaoru****: Hahaha.. I'm sure he'd love _that_ order ;)**

**Neko****: The Cat That's Everywhere: Meow?**

I'm glad that you're hooked! Sorry to have left you for so long without another "fix" for your reading addiction! Hopefully this chapter's installment will have sufficed for the mean time ;)

**LiLV13TaNhDaO:** Include a link to one and I will ;) I was actually having some problems trying to locate your profile on here for "LilAzNStar" :/

**Crystal Shower:** Thank you kindly! I appreciate your wonderful comment!

**Demonic**: Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay Okay … Phew ^_^;;

**Thunder sister**: Evil? Yes. Sad? Yes. Ain't it grand? ;) hehe

**Zeus the Moose: **Well, there _is_ a good side to Yahiko… the boy's heart really is in the right place, most of the time. : ) You know… when he's not interrupting Kenshin/Kaoru or insulting all the characters left and right… ~_~  

**May Storm:** More romance? Ask you shall receive, my dear. ;) *runs off to plan the next chapter*

**Sessha**** Kenshin: I'm glad to hear that Kenshin approves! ^_^ Your kind words mean a lot to me! Thank you so much!**

**Anime Brat:** O_o … *Puts a hand over her tummy* Don't hurt me…. I'll write! I'll write!

**AnGeLiK-NiKoLe**: Indeed. Suspense is something I love using in my stories ;)

**HiEi**** FoR sALe: Hot? Ohh yeeaaah… It'll get hotter, too! Keep checking back!**

**Clemen****: I'm glad that you're still hanging in there. ^_^ And I will take care, once I'm feeling better from this surgery. Hope you do the same as well and take care of yourself!!**

**Luraia**** Soul: Nah ;) I figured I'd be a bit more lenient on the poor boy… for now. : ) He'll get what he has coming to him later on. Bwahahaha!**

**Kyia**** Star: Woohoo, reviewer 90. Lucky you ^^  I'm glad that you're liking the story so far!  Thank you for your kind comments, Ariel : )  Uhh… I'm online when I'm not a) asleep because of the medicine, b) asleep because of the medicine, or c) asleep because it's bed time :P hehe. Actually, you can catch me on AIM or Yahoo a lot now a days. Did you sign up for this coming semester's (spring) college classes yet?**

**Tenika**** Dragon: Wow… I really appreciate your comments! ^_^ They truly mean a lot to me, especially since English is somewhat my major (Mass-Communications). *hugs* Thank you so much!**

**Aureus-Alae****: Yes, you caught onto my devious plan: Add the romance, but hold the actual kissing until later. You've figured me out. ;)**

**Luraia**** Soul: Hello again! ^^  Glad you liked it! Ciao!**

**Ruichan****: Yes, that mask of his is incredibly hard to get passed.  He only let's you see what he wants you to see and nothing more. A truly incredible character. **

**Aureus-Alae****: No! :P hehe j/k I'll keep updating it as soon as I possibly can.**

**YoukoKurama201:** Evil? Aye. But then I wouldn't be me if I wasn't, now would I? hehe. ^_^


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